Teddy Ndje Potentially Going Pro in Argentina

Teddy Ndje, the Freshman star of the Varsity Soccer team, is currently weighing a career in soccer for Club Banfield, a professional soccer club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Teddy was recruited to play for their under-17 team for the season, which runs from March to mid-October. Their interest in Gilman’s star was sparked after Teddy played against Banfield in a tournament in which they admired his performance and invited him back. The current invitation from Banfield would have Teddy departing for Argentina in July to train and get accommodated for the season start in March. Teddy said, “I will have to learn to live by myself. It’ll be interesting. I’ll definitely bring my Xbox though!”

Teddy played on Gilman’s Varsity Soccer team and started every game except for Senior Night. He scored 14 goals in the 23-game season. He’s been at Gilman since 6th grade and has loved his experience here.

Club Atletico Banfield is a well-known domestic club in Argentina over 120 years-old. They play in the “Primera Division” and are managed by Julio César Falcioni. Some notable players on their professional team include Mauro Camoranesi, who later played for the renowned Italian soccer club Juventus, and Colombian soccer star James Rodriguez, who currently plays for Real Madrid.

Pay for his first season would be around ten thousand dollars, with the possibility of a raise based on his performance. The earliest he can be moved up to the professional squad would be at age 17 in 2 years. The team would pay for all expenses, including housing, food, medical needs, etc. Teddy would participate in a few international tournaments while on the team in which he would travel to many countries to play other under-17 teams around the world.

Teddy says that his biggest challenge would be living by himself for the first time ever and more predominantly the language barrier. While in Buenos Aires, he would take online classes to earn his high school degree. His mother would want him to stay connected to Gilman via the online classes, so that when he comes back in the winter, he would most likely reconnect with Gilman in some fashion. All in all, we wish Teddy good luck!